Friends,
August was a busy month. We served an average of 128 bagged breakfasts and lunches each Saturday morning. The highest number was 154, which we served on the 27th.
August is also when students return to school, so this month we look back and thank some of the inspiring young people (and their adults) who have supported the Celebrate Outreach Saturday breakfast over the past year, including one middle school theater group who wrote plays about being homeless and then collected toiletries for Celebrate as admission to the performance.
Photos and information are below
If you or your group would like to join our work, call, text or email Debbie Canning at (727) 612-9676 or canningd58@yahoo.com; or John Stewart at (727) 492-1590 or sjstew@gte.net. A list of our ongoing needs is at the end of the email. Along with onsite help, we could especially use groups who could prepare food or a meal offsite.
We serve from Praise the Lord Outreach Ministries, 900 MLK Street South, St. Petersburg FL 33705. Volunteers arrive at 7:30 AM and we finish serving by 9:30.
For updates on what we are doing and ideas how you can help, go to the Celebrate Outreach Facebook page.
• Thanks to the Lakewood High School National Honor Society, who came in on Saturday mornings to prepare, pack and serve food. The students in the right photo are serving coffee and birthday cake to people waiting for breakfast.
• Thanks to St. Mary & St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church in Clearwater, who prepares a full meal with side dishes offsite once a month. Then, when they volunteer onsite Saturday mornings, they bring church youth with them to help serve.
• Thanks to the students of Our Savior Lutheran School in St. Petersburg for their school-wide toiletries drive, which are always in demand at the breakfast. On the left, students carry the donations to breakfast co-coordinator Deb Canning’s van; in the center, Deb with Our Savior Pastor Chris Futch and the van full of donations; on the right, Deb with Principal Jesse Crosmer and a donation from the school.
• Thanks to the girls of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida – Hoxie Service Unit – Troop #19. Offsite (L), they prepared sandwiches to serve, and they have volunteered regularly at the breakfast, along with their sponsor Kelly Davidson (center, R).
• Thanks to the students in Ms. Katz’s Theatre II class at Thurgood Marshall Middle School. The school play Home featured student-written scenes that highlighted the many ways people create home. Then, instead of selling tickets as admission to the performance, they asked the audience to bring toiletries to distribute at the Celebrate Outreach breakfast.
The generosity of the students, their teacher, and their school was a huge benefit to the people we serve.
Thanks to everyone who continues to support the breakfast. Remember to visit our Celebrate Outreach Facebook page for updates, and contact us for ways to help offsite, or to join our merry band on Saturday mornings!Debbie Bussinger Canning(727) 612-9676 or canningd58@yahoo.com
John Stewart(727) 492-1590 or sjstew@gte.net
FOOD, CLOTHING AND TOILETRIES NEEDS
Food Items
fruit cups, bananas, orangesbeef sticks, canned meat pop tops (tuna, Vienna sausages),yogurt cups, lunch meat, sliced cheese, cheese stickspacks of any variety of cheese or peanut butter crackers, snack-sized bags of chipsbottled water, Gatorade, soda
Toiletries
toothbrushes, toothpaste
disposable razors, shaving cream
bar soap, wash cloths
deodorant
feminine hygiene items
travel size creams, shampoo, and body wash
individual packets of Kleenex, hand wipes
Clothes
men’s/women’s socks (this is a constant need)
gently used clothes
men’s and women’s tennis shoes
men’s underwear S/M/L
women’s underwear S/M/L/XL
PLEASE NOTE: **We do not accept children’s clothes**